Over fifteen years ago the Maritime Organization IMO,a United Nations agency specializing in safety of shipping and preventing ships from polluting the seas, began looking at ways of improving maritime distress and safety communications. In 1979, a group of experts drafted the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, which called for development of a global search and rescue plan. This group also passed a resolution calling for development by IMO of a Global Maritime Distress and Safety System GMDSS to provide the communication support needed to implement the search and rescue plan. This new system, which the worlds maritime nations, including the United States, are implementing, is based upon a combination of satellite and terrestrial radio services, and has changed international distress communications from being primarily shiptoship based to primarily shiptoshore Rescue Coordination Center based.

Address: 7323 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA 22315
Telephone: (703) 313-5900
Website: http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/gmdss/default.htm